Youngsters Loom Large For Lottery

May 11, 1992|By Barry Cooper of The Sentinel Staff

With the deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft having passed, the Orlando Magic and 10 other NBA teams are preparing for what could be one of the most important draft lotteries in history.

In Secaucus, N.J., on Sunday, the NBA will conduct the 1992 draft lottery. The winner will receive a big prize: a chance to draft LSU center Shaquille O'Neal, who many scouts predict will become the league's next great center.

Sunday marked the deadline for underclassmen to mail let ters to the NBA declaring that they were entering the draft. A complete list of the eligible underclassmen wasn't available.

Of the players known to have declared, O'Neal is the most prominent. O'Neal, expected to be the No. 1 pick, has been the subject of constant conjecture and scuttlebutt since he announced last month that he was turning pro. Sunday, his agent, Leonard Armato, denied a rumor that O'Neal supposedly had stated in writing that he would not play for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

''The Timberwolves don't even have his rights, so why should we send such a letter?'' Armato told the Associated Press.

The Timberwolves had the league's worst record and thus will have the best chance of winning the lottery.

Other underclassmen who have declared for the draft include Ohio State guard Jimmy Jackson, University of Southern California guard Harold Miner and UCLA forward Tracy Murray.

The lottery isn't the only concern for Orlando. The Magic are plotting the progress of small forward Dennis Scott, who has resumed conditioning drills after surgery last month to repair an injured tendon in his right leg.

Magic General Manager Pat Williams said Scott has been running on a treadmill and taking part in other exercises. But he said Scott won't resume playing basketball until about June 1. Because of his injury, Scott played in only 18 games. Williams said every indication is that Scott's surgery was successful.